Scots from poor areas 16 TIMES more likely to end up in hospital over drugs
National tragedy hits deprived the hardest
PEOPLE living in the poorest areas are 16 times more likely to be admitted to hospital from drug use than folk in the richest neighbourhoods.
Shock figures also show admissions for Scots in deprived parts of the country have nearly doubled since the SNP came to power.
Scotland has the worst drugs death record in Europe, with 1264 fatalities in 2019.
Nicola Sturgeon admitted her Government had taken its “eye off the ball” and £250million was committed to addressing the tragedy.
Figures from Public Health Scotland show the true scale of the inequalities behind the crisis. In 2007-8, when Alex Salmond was first minister, the number of people from the most deprived areas hospitalised from drug use stood at 4047.
There have been increases in each of the last seven years and the figure for 2019-20 was 7899.
It means there is a drugrelated hospitalisation from the poorest parts of Scotland nearly every hour.
By contrast, the number of people admitted to hospital from drug-related issues from the least deprived areas was 489.
Pamela Nash, chief executive of Scotland in Union, said: “This research shows that people living in the least well-off areas are 16 times more likely to be hospitalised as a result of drug use than those in the wealthiest.
“The SNP has been in power for more than 14 years and during that time the drugs emergency has become increasingly severe.”
Scottish Labour MSP Claire Baker added: “It is the most disadvantaged communities in Scotland that have been hit hardest by our failure to get to grips with the issue.
“The SNP have admitted to taking their eye off the ball on this – but we need action, not words. These stark figures are a reminder of the real consequences of Scotland’s drug crisis and theprofound inequalities at its heart.” The Record has reported on the political ramifications of the drugs crisis.
Sturgeon fired Joe Fitzpatrick as public health minister last year after our stories exposed the lack of progress being made.
He was replaced by former education secretary Angela Constance. A Scottish Government spokesman said:
“A total of £4million is being spent on introducing new MedicineAssisted Treatment standards which will ensure drug users start receiving support on the day they ask for it, regardless of where in Scotland they live. “These new Mat standards will also ensure that anyone identified at risk through hospital admission for drug related harms or near-fatal overdose is identified and prioritised, and supported into the treatment that is right for them. “We have said a national mission is needed to tackle the drug deaths emergency and we have allocated an additional £250million over the next five years to improve and increase access to services for people affected by drug addiction.”